This invention relates to a signaling device which is operable by a pet animal such as a dog or cat for enabling the animal to attract the attention of someone in a house or other building when the animal desires to obtain entrance into the house or the building.
Pet animals such as cats and dogs will normally state their desire to enter a house or other building by meowing, barking or by scratching the door. The meowing or barking can be annoying to nearby neighbors and others and is not always effective in that an occupant within the house or building may not be aware that the sole purpose of the meowing or barking is to gain entry to the house or building by the pet. Scratching at the door by the pet may cause damage to the door or an adjacent surface and is thus undesirable.
The provision of a small door within the door or in an adjacent surface for use by the pet is often considered to be an answer to the problem and will allow the pet to ingress and egress the house or other building at the desire of the pet. The provision of a second pet door is not always an effective solution as such separate pet door permits unrestricted ingress by the pet as well as other small animals which the occupant would not want to enter the house or other building.
Various signal sounding devices that are adapted specially for pet animal usages are known in the prior art. These devices are normally mounted or located at or near the entrance of a house or other building so that they can be actuated by the pet when it wants to gain entry in the house or other building. The actuator for these signaling devices are generally hard-wired, as are most doorbells, but located at a lower level so that the pet animal can activate the doorbell by pushing, pressing or leaning on the actuator. The signaling devices are often complicated in structure and can be easily damaged by the elements such as rain or snow. The devices disclosed in the following U.S. patents are exemplary of such prior art devices: Patent No. 4,323,883 to Sowards; 4,400,696 to Klingensmith; 4,686,504 to German; 5,303,677 to Jones; 5,475,369 to Baker; 5,901,667 to Kallas; and 5,952,926 to Syverson.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,883 to Sowards discloses a complex doorbell device which takes advantage of the natural characteristic of animals to scratch or paw at a scratch plate located on a closed door whenever they desire to enter a building or other structure wherein the scratching or pawing actuates an audible signal device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,696 to Klingensmith discloses a relatively complex doorbell device having a hinged panel member mounted on the outside of the door and having an electrical contact member secured thereto. Klingensmith requires an adjustable spring member built within the hinge structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,504 to German discloses a pet operable annunciator secured on a wall adjacent a door comprising a housing including a sounding chime or bell and an actuating lever projecting outwardly from the housing with the entire housing being exposed to the weather which can be damaged by rain, snow or oxidation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,677 to Jones discloses a pet entrance pager that can be fitted over the vertical edge of a door and which has activating means which the pet may engage for sounding an alarm. U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,369 to Baker discloses an animal actuating signaling device comprising a wireless transmitter, a companion wireless receiver and a two piece housing for the wireless transmitter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,667 to Kallas discloses a portable doorbell for housepets to alert its caretaker of the need to exit a house or other building to relieve itself. U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,926 to Syverson discloses a pet doorbell apparatus comprising a cover cap activator for attachment to the outside of a house or other building. The cover cap activator includes a base plate and a cover pivotably mounted to the base plate. The cover is movable from a first position to a second position when the cover is depressed by an animal desiring to enter a house or other building to activate a transmitter which sends a signal to a receiver, bell, chime, or the like to alert a person within the house or other building to let the pet in.
While there are numerous pet doorbells in the prior art, including those disclosed in the above-identified U.S. patents, most are complex and can be damaged by the elements, and all suffer from numerous deficiencies and disadvantages. The present invention overcomes these deficiencies and disadvantages in that it provides an improved pet doorbell that fills the need for a simple, inexpensive, pet doorbell made from readily available, environmentally friendly, materials which can be assembled and installed by persons with little, if any mechanical skills.
xe2x80x9cThe signaling device of the present invention, in its preferred embodiment, generally comprises a switch or activator mounted on a facing of a door, a receiver or doorbell mounted within a home or other building, and means for sending a signal from the switch or activator to the receiver or doorbell. The switch or activator of the present invention is preferably made of environmentally friendly (rust proof, etc.) clear LEXAN or polycarbonate material bent to a generally U-shaped and incorporating a pair of brass contacts wired by a wiring harness to a receiver. In lieu of being wired to a receiver, there might be a wireless connection between the switch or activator and the receiver.xe2x80x9d
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved signaling device for operation by a pet which has the advantages of the prior art devices and none of the disadvantages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved signaling device for operation by a pet which may be easily and efficiently manufactured from inexpensive and readily available materials.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved signaling device for operation by a pet which is characterized by its simplicity of construction and ease of operation.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a new and improved signaling device for operation by a pet that is substantially non-corrosive, structurally sound, and that is simple and easy to train a pet to use.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the appending drawings in which like numbers have been used to describe like parts throughout the several views.